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CU 'stir' likely on tenure

Committee report to recommend 39 changes Monday

Sara Burnett, Rocky Mountain News

Published April 22, 2006 at midnight

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Some of the findings in a review of the University of Colorado's tenure system are likely to cause "a stir" among faculty and the public, the leader of the independent inquiry said Friday.

The 180-page report, scheduled for release Monday afternoon, contains 39 recommendations for changes to university policies, according to retired Air Force Gen. Howell Estes III.

While parts of the report may be controversial, Estes said he came away from the review "absolutely convinced" that the job protection known as tenure is essential to hiring and keeping top faculty and that it helps ensure academic rigor.

"This is not a protective society for professors," Estes said. "There's a darn good reason to do it."

The CU Board of Regents launched the review last year after taking heat over ethnic studies professor Ward Churchill.

At the time, lawmakers and others were calling for Churchill's job because of an essay he wrote in which he called some of the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks "little Eichmanns," a reference to the Nazi who helped engineer the Holocaust. Because Churchill has tenure, however, his comments alone couldn't get him fired.

That led many to question just who is being awarded tenure at CU, how thorough the evaluation process is and whether tenure allows less-than-stellar professors to collect a paycheck for life.

The regents appointed 10 people to an independent review committee at the suggestion of CU faculty.

A group of faculty and administrators conducted one review, while an outside consulting firm conducted a simultaneous study. Findings were turned over to a drafting committee, which put together the final report.

In coming weeks, the committee will hold public forums and meet with faculty on all CU campuses to discuss the findings and possible policy changes.

The report will be presented to the regents during their regular meeting in July.